Pennsylvanians, federal lawmakers have shifted views on gay marriage

Republican U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (left) and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey (right) have publicly flipped their positions in the last two years, with both now in support of same-sex marriage.

Republican U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (left) and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey (right) have publicly flipped their positions in the last two years, with both now in support of same-sex marriage. (Contributed Photo/AP Photo Matt Rourke, Contributed Photo/AP Photo)

— As the Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether same-sex couples have a right to marry, some supporters recounted how public opinion on the question has shifted — first slowly, and recently at a rapid pace — in favor of gay marriage.

Like their Pennsylvania constituents — who backed gay marriage 62 percent to 32 percent in the latest Quinnipiac University poll — several local members of Congress also have gone through a transformation on how they view the issue.

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican congressman Charlie Dent have publicly flipped their positions in the last two years, with both now in support of same-sex marriage.

Democratic congressman Matt Cartwright, who represents parts of Northampton County, didn't have a public position on the issue when he started running for Congress but, after meeting with a Lehigh Valley gay activist, came out in support after the 2012 primary.

For Casey and Dent, the decisions to alter their stances tracked closely with milestones in the state and federal legal battles.

Casey announced his new view in April 2013, less than a week after the Supreme Court heard arguments in two landmark gay marriage cases. He was among a number of Democrats — including former Secretary of State and now presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — who were announcing their support in the weeks leading up to and following those arguments.

A federal judge has struck down as unconstitutional Pennsylvania's ban on gay marriage.

A federal judge has struck down as unconstitutional Pennsylvania's ban on gay marriage.

Gay-rights groups had been pushing Casey, a devout Catholic from a socially conservative part of the state, for several years to change his view. He was among the last handful of Senate Democrats to back gay marriage.

"It was just such strong momentum at that time," said Adrian Shanker, executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown. "Every day there was just another member of Congress or a big corporation coming out and saying same-sex marriage was a good thing for America."

Casey said at the time that his decision came after reading letters from gay and lesbian Pennsylvanians and their families, saying that the personal stories had an effect on him.

Catholics in the Allentown Diocese are in love with Pope Francis and happy with their priests but skeptical of a range of church teachings that touch on the nature of relationships and sexuality, according to a first-of-its-kind poll of the region's faithful.

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(Dan Sheehan and Anthony Salamone)

"If two people of the same sex fall in love and want to marry, why would our government stand in their way?" Casey asked in his 2013 statement. "At a time when many Americans lament a lack of commitment in our society between married men and women, why would we want less commitment and fewer strong marriages?"

Dent, whose 15th District includes Lehigh County and much of Northampton County, shifted his position after a federal judge overturned Pennsylvania's same-sex marriage last year. He issued a statement that day congratulating the Pennsylvanians who were then able to get married, and formally announced his evolving view about a week later.

His reversal came after voting for amendments at both the state and federal level to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

"Life is too short to have the force of government stand in the way of two adults whose pursuit of happiness includes marriage," Dent said in a May 2014 statement.

Cartwright consulted with Shanker during his first campaign to help define his view. He told the Morning Call in 2013 that when he was growing up, "you didn't talk about things like that. It was a taboo subject. It isn't now."

That year, he signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief urging Supreme Court justices to undo part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

Not all of the local legislators who opposed same-sex marriage have changed their views, though some have voted in support of other gay and lesbian initiatives. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey has said he believes marriage should be between one man and one woman, a position his spokeswoman, E.R. Anderson, confirmed Monday.

He also voted against a recent amendment that sought to ensure that married gay couples have access to Social Security and veterans benefits.

But Toomey has supported repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy and extending domestic violence protections to gay, lesbian and transgender victims. He also voted to advance legislation that would ban workplace discrimination against gay employees, and to ensure that groups receiving federal money to aid homeless youth aren't discriminating based on sexual orientation.

"Sen. Toomey believes all persons should be treated as individuals, and consistently votes to protect persons from discrimination based on their sexual orientation," Anderson said in an email Monday.